Chargers talk 2014 opponents

San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick fumbles as he is hit by Seattle Seahawks' Cliff Avril (56) during the second half of the NFL football NFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Associated Press

San Francisco 49ers' Colin Kaepernick fumbles as he is hit by Seattle Seahawks' Cliff Avril (56) during the second half of the NFL football NFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

In response to the 2014 schedule announced Wednesday, the Chargers may want to run gassers across the Coronado Bridge. Or wrestle with bears at the San Diego Zoo.

It's a schedule that grabs an entire franchise's attention. On it are the Seahawks, the 49ers and two other thorny NFC West teams, plus three perennial AFC powers in the Patriots, the Ravens and the Broncos.

For Chargers such as Donald Butler and Eric Weddle, the NFC West's presence on the menu is an April espresso shot.

"People say that’s the best division in football right now. So, I cherish the opportunity," Butler said Tuesday.

Said Weddle: "We feel the AFC West was one of the top divisions last year; so we'll see what they've got and what we’ve got."

Weddle noted that the Seahawks, who pasted the Broncos in the Super Bowl three weeks after San Diego fell at Denver, will be coming to San Diego and called it a fun matchup. "We get to go against the best and see what they’re all about," he said.

Last winter the Broncos and Patriots met in the AFC Championship Game, on the same weekend that the Seahawks and 49ers clashed in what Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman called the true Super Bowl. The Cardinals finished third in the NFC West with a 10-6 record, tying the franchise's best mark for the last 37 years. The Rams, coming off a 7-9 season, hold the Nos. 2 and 13 picks in the upcoming draft and will regain quarterback Sam Bradford from a knee injury that cut short his 2013 season.

"We know it will be a heck of a test, all four of those teams," Philip Rivers said.

Butler used the word "physicality" twice while talking about the NFC West and Seattle's defensive performance in the Super Bowl.

Seahawks defenders "just brought a physicality and a mentality that was unmatched by Denver," he said. "I definitely believe that we can get there and that we will get there."

Mentioning the NFC West teams, Butler said: "I think if our defense is not willing to match their defenses’ physicality, we’re going to be in some trouble."

The Chargers aren't strangers to playoff-caliber competition. In 2013, they went against playoff-bound teams seven times and went 5-2. It was their highest total of such victories in any season during the Super Bowl Era, and their highest total of such games since going 4-3 in 2005.

Too, a schedule's strength isn't really known until the games are played. Because of injuries and fluctuating performances, there's an expression that it's not who you play, but you when play them.

"You can’t not treat every game like it’s a big game in this league because, before you know it, you’ll be on a six-game losing streak," Weddle said.